ESPN names trio of Georgia players to All-American team
The postseason All-American teams continue to be quite good to Georgia. ESPN released its team on Tuesday and it includes three Bulldogs on the first team.
Sophomore tight end Brock Bowers, who was an AP All-American and the winner of the Mackey Award as the nation’s top tight end, is the lone representative on the first-team offense. He’s Georgia’s leading receiver for the second straight season and he has a chance to reach 1,000 total yards with a strong showing in the College Football Playoff
“Tight end was one of the hardest positions to pick this season because there were so many good ones. But Bowers gets the nod as the country’s most complete player at the position. He’s a big-play threat in the passing game, runs great routes, blocks like an offensive lineman and can make defenders miss after the catch and when the Dawgs hand the ball off to him. The true sophomore led Georgia with 52 catches, including six touchdowns, and he also rushed for three scores.” — ESPN
Junior defensive tackle and unanimous All-American Jalen Carter also made the first team. He has been one of the most dominant Georgia players in recent memory during the second half of the season. After being slowed by ankle and knee injuries during the first half, Carter has exploded for seven tackles for loss and three sacks in his past six games.
“When healthy, Carter is the most unblockable defender in college football. Some might say he’s the best player in college football. He battled foot, ankle and knee injuries this season, but he recovered to play some of his best football in Georgia’s most important games. Few players create pressure in the pocket the way the 6-3, 300-pound Carter does. He’s the centerpiece of a Georgia defense that once again was elite.” — ESPN
Georgia’s other defensive representative comes at inside linebacker and not safety. Christopher Smith was a first-team All-American everywhere else but ESPN left him off while including Jamon Dumas-Johnson, a sophomore from Maryland. Dumas-Johnson was a finalist for the Butkus Award.
“Can anybody remember a time that Georgia didn’t have a dynamic linebacker? This year’s version is Dumas-Johnson, who in his first season as a starter tied for the team lead with 64 total tackles, including a team-leading eight for loss. A true sophomore, the 6-1, 245-pounder did a little bit of everything from his inside linebacker position, from making plays in space in the run game to racking up 21 quarterback hurries.” — ESPN
Smith, along with Bowers and Carter, were also named first-team All-Americans by USA Today on Tuesday.
The Bulldogs will be back in action on December 31 against Ohio State in the College Football Playoff semifinal game. Georgia will take on the Buckeyes in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl with kickoff set for 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
